Centrifugal fan



Oct. 24, 1944. M. w. BUCHANAN CENTRIFUGAL FAN Filed Dec. 5, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 &

= YMWQ/W "Oct. 24, 194 4. M. w. BUCHANAN CENTRIFUGAL FAN Filed Dec. 5, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 im WE ooon Oct. 24, 1944. M. WQBUCHANAN 2,361,007

0 I CENTRIFUGAL FAN Filed Dec. 5, 1941 s Sheets-Sheet s /lzyron/ Buchanan Wi Lw eom v I v 6 M Patented Oct. 24, 1944 GENTMFUGAI;

Myron .=.,W- Buchanamfihon Hills; 1 Jeiassi noris t :The n er anufa tu nse mnapyt Elizabeth, N. J J, a corporation of =-New-.lersey,

A'pplication -Decemberifi, 1941, Serial No. 421,701:

a Claimed, (c1. 230M141);

This; invention relates-to'fans and morepar:

ticularly to fans of thecentrifugaltypeandhas forr its principalfobjective" the provision of improved; means for feathering; the blades 3 of the impeller sothatthe outpuirof:- the fan may be regulated independently of the. speed thereof;

Another -objectof* this --invention is to; provide means for' simultaneously" adjusting all of the blades the sameamount-and for simultaneouslystricting or obstructing I the I inlet opening-of the fan' and'to provide improved means for cooling the fan motor.

A still furtheriobject' of this' 'invention is to provide improvedmeans for adjusting the angle of the impeller. blades which iseasily and read; ily*accessiblei and in which the adjustment can be made, without disturbing the permanentinstallation of'lthefan and its actuating motor.

With. the; above and; other objectsin view, as

will-hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the" devices, combinations, and 1 arrangements, of; parts hereinafter set; forth and illustratedin the,

accompanying drawingsof a preferred; embodiment' of-"the invention, fromwhich the several features oftheinventionkand-the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by thoseskilled inthe-arti' In the accompanying drawings Fig; '1 is an end: elevation of-the fanor=-blower, showin the in take orifice or inlet'endoi the fan.

Fig. 21s a vertical section taken-along the line;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along-the -line 3-3' of Fig; 2:

Fig. 4 is a face view of the disk which carries the impeller blades.

In the embodiment selected for illustration l represents a square shaped casing made of sheetmetal, or any other suitable material, and reenforcedwith angle-bars II at its edges and through its central portion. Opposite sidewalls of the casing ID are provided with aligned circular openings a. The casing is provided with an exhaust or outlet l2, which is also connested t e croll. 3,..a slfi adi m vab e p t ondl crs reprovided niopp s es des. in o he pur pse. of, ins ec n and}.

cleaning; F xed: o. ah. de oi; t e c in "11 I by theSC1eWSf l5; andjsurrounding one of; the.

penin s; I "dis la rin lfiiandjw ldedl the. ringandcasing 1511a circular member I! having. n. h r cr sse e on. Fr m he. bove. it: will be; understood that gas the, edges of they casing are equal in length." and are disposed at 90E, 'rela tive to each; other, the,,fan" .outlet,i may-be. ar v ranged 1w har e many of ifour-p s tio l aandi as de e v metr talthe, fan motor mav be remova bly securedto either-0f the members 1 to p ojec thro ehe ther.,ofjtne openings 1 0a.,

n therc-as ne. thus; providing, eht ifi r nt p0 ti s: in. wh c e ischar e, out et may be placed:

Removably secured 1 to Y a selectedgone of; the,

supporting plate 211 which forms one. of the.v end bonnets for the mot'or and',has rernoyablywse cured thereto an inspectiOILPlfifie. l8], Secured to the pIate'ZD' by theboltsl ljis a" casing 22;.which carries the stator. 2-3 and the end. bonnet 2.4 L'Qf the-motor i tcrxs ai .lfitearryine r t r fi; is io r a d. uite 1e; bearin s. 2 n 281mb riedj: by" the: suppontine n mben '05; and. the: ndl

bonnet 24.- Secured to tne .,extending e a 25'. of. 7

the motor shaft 25;;for rotatidngtherewith, is ai disk formed-witha hub zfl'," strengthening ribs 3 I and bearing bosses 3 2 which a re arrangedj'near'. the outer periphery of'fthe1disk andjare, equally:

spacedfrom each other.

Journaledg in and, extending through each; of

thebearing bosses; 32is oneendiofa. shaft 3,3;

having a fan-blade, 3 4 rigidly. fixedthereto and the other end of cachet the shafts" 33'; is..he1d ;in a ring 35; thepurpose of which isto. hold; the. blade supporting-shafts in parallelism.

Re-movabiy "secured t01.th%11.,0ne of the rings, l 5' b w ich s; at t idev ii he asina emote. rom

the -motor;- isa; sheetjmetal air furntiel.51)" which;

directs air into the; casing within (thepath of rotation of-'-the fan-blades.

Fixed to the end of each of the shafts 33 which extends through the boss 32, and at the side opposite the blade 34, is a gear 31. All of the gears 3'! mesh with a large or main gear 38 journaled on the hub 29 of the disk 30. The gear 38 is adapted to be moved about the hub 29 and is provided with two arcuate slots 40 through each of which a locking'screw 4| passes, the screw being received by one of the threaded bosses 42 formed on the disk 30.

From the foregoing it will be observed that access to the impeller may be had by removing the inspection plate l8 and through the opening the locking screws 4| may be loosened and the gear 38 moved about the hub 29 as an axis until the blades 34 assume the desired position. The screws 4| may then be tightened to lock the gear 38, and'as the gears 31 mesh with the gear 38 the. gears 31 endbl'ades' 34 are also locked'in the desired position.

The disk 30; near its outer periphery and adjacent the bearing bosses '32, is formed with strengthening ribs 44 which, together with the draws air through the screened'intake 45 in the end bonnet 24 of the motor, the screened outlet 46 in the plat 20 through the openings 41, Fig. 3, formed in the large gear 38 and is then forced into the fan exhaust I 2. This arrangement provides means for cooling the motor when the fan is operating.

acetone strengthening ribs 3| form a centrifugal fan which shaft of each fan blade and meshing with said main gear, whereby angular adjustment of said main gear effects greater angular adjustment of all of said fan blades.

2. In a centrifugal fan, in combination, a boxlike casing having aligned openings in its opposite sidewalls; a pair of circular members, substantially L-shaped in cross section, one of which is secured to each of said sidewalls around one of said openings; a fan-driving motor having at one end an annular flange adapted to be secured to either of said circular members so that the shaft of the motor will extend through the adjacent opening and into the casing; a circular disk having a hub secured upon the end of said motor shaft within said casing, said disk being adjacent to and substantially closing one of the openings in the casing; a plurality of bearing From the foregoing description it. will be observed that I have constructed a centrifugal fan injwhicha single means is provided for adjusting the impeller blades to thereby regulate the volume of air delivered or the static pressure produced bythe fan, and this adjustment may be made before or after the fan has been installed. It willbe understood that after the screws 4| have been loosenedthe large gear 38 may be adjusted by turningany of the small gears 31 or' any of "the shafts 33 to which the gears 31 are fixed, thereby adjusting all of the blades simultaneously.. It is apparent that such aconstruction has a wide variety of uses, and it will be understood that the form, and arrangement of the elements employed maybe varied. Therefore, the privilege is reserved of resorting toall such legitimate changes therein as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. r

Having thus set forth the nature of the inventionwhat I claim herein is: I 1. Ina centrifugal fan, in combination, :5, cas-- ing provided'with a circular opening; a circular memben' substantially L-shape in cross section, securedv to the outside of said casing around said opening; a fan-driving. motor having at one end an annular flange secured to said circular member with the shaft of, the motor extending through said opening and into said casing; a circular disklocated withm said casing and having a hub secured to said motor shaft; a plurality of'bearing bosses carried by said disk adjacent its outer periphery, each 'of" said bosses being providedwith a, cylindrical bearing having its axis parallel with the axis of the motor shaft; a metal ring spacedfrom said diskand affording a plurality of bearings eachcomplemental to and aligned with one ofthe bearings provided by said disk; a plurality of-fan blades each having a shaft journaled in' twoof said aligned bearings; a relatively large main gear journaled on the hub of said disk'for limited angular adjustment; and a relatively small gear secured to one end of the bosses provided by-said disk adjacent its periphery; ..a plurality of fan blades each having a shaft journaled in one of said bearing bosses; a relatively small gear secured upon each of said fan shafts; a relatively large main gear journaled on the hub of said disk forlimited angular adjustment and meshing with all of the gears on said fan shafts, whereby angular adjustment of said main gearfeifects greater angular adjustment of all of said fan blades; and .means to lock said main gear .to said diskin its various positions of adjustment. 3

3. In a centrifugal fan, in combination, a casing having aligned circular openings in its opposite sidewalls; a pair of circular members, angular in cross section, of which one is secured to each of said sidewalls around one of said opena fan-blade carried by eachof said fan-bladeing shafts to'hold said'shafts and fan blades against relative lateral movement; a relatively small gear secured upon each of said fan-blade shafts; a relatively largemain gear journaled coaxial with said motorshaft and meshing with each of the gears on said fan-blade shafts, whereby angular adjustment of said main gear simultaneously efiects greater angular adjustment of all of said fan blades; said main gear being provided with a pair of arcuateslots; anda clampbolt passing through each: 0f said slots and threaded into oneof thethreaded bosses on said disk to lock said main gear in its various positions of adjustment.

- MYRON W. BUCHANAN. 

